This is an example of how, when God gives, He gives in abundance. Sometimes, you get exactly what you asked for, nothing more, nothing less. I asked God once to give me at least enough voice to finish out a Liturgy when my throat was really bad, and got EXACTLY that - after the last hymn, I couldn't TALK. Well, I did say just enough to finish the Liturgy... I didn't say anything about conversation during coffee hour. And sometimes, He does say no. I wanted contacts at my last eye exam - turns out I'm a horrible candidate for them, so that was a "no". To quote the Stones, "You can't always get what you want."
And sometimes, you don't get JUST what you want, you get what you didn't dare ask for. Case in point - dining room chairs. I planned poorly, and gave away all of ours before shopping for more. Friends said they were apartment-hunting, I said, "Great, when you find one, you can have our old dining set (the chairs we were using, the table was being used outside)." And I planned on replacing our chairs with ones from Salvation Army, a couple at a time. The eclectic look, you know. This was in July, however, and because in the first place I had nowhere to store the chairs we'd be giving away, and in the second place I'm just not that "together", I had done no chair-shopping when our chairs all departed for the friends' apartment last month. I went to Salvation Army, and lo and behold, there were NO chairs that were not in a set with a table. NO single, lonely, mismatched chairs whatsoever. I went back again, and again, and there just weren't any, period. My budget didn't cover new chairs, unless they were folding chairs from Walmart. After a couple weeks of nothing to sit on and all meals on the couch, I talked myself into accepting that folding chairs would be okay (they perform the basic function required, after all), and furthermore they would even be a GOOD idea, because our house is so small, and we could fold them up when not in use. But it kind of stunk, because those still aren't CHEAP, and of course money's tight. So as a last resort, I posted the following Wanted on Freecycle:
"Do you have one or two kitchen/dining room chairs that no longer match your other furniture? Maybe they need a leg replaced or something? ...We have a table. We have no chairs. I'm not picky in the slightest, if it clashes too severely with our dining room, that's what paint is for, and I can do simple repairs too. I'm willing to drive out of Springfield for something to sit on!"
I didn't expect much - chairs that went in a basement or attic because they needed some sort of basic repair, then the person got rid of the set and forgot about the one in storage, etc... I expected to put in elbow grease at the least to clean them up, IF anyone had chairs to get rid of at all, and was bracing for some basic carpentry and painting to get them into shape. I didn't even think to ask GOD for chairs, I mean, that's such a basic silly little thing. You don't ask God for chairs.
Well, He got involved anyhow. Carpentry? Painting? Wood glue? It was Friday the 2nd that I put up a Wanted for any chairs, any condition, anywhere, and I now have THREE chairs, and they are beyond what I had ever thought to hope for. The first I got is a lovely red-blond shade, wooden, in great condition with a curvy design carved out of the back. Gorgeous. The two I picked up this morning are, get this, THE SAME WOOD. It's the same red-blond, this time with a geometric design on the back. And pads. On the seat AND back. And arms!!!
Kittyboy's booster seat is on the one with the curvy back, and we have the ones with arms. And more and more, every time I walk into the dining room today, I think about how God really DOES give in abundance sometimes. I mean, that's really it. All I needed was something to sit on. Stacked milk-crates would have fit the bill. And I didn't even ask God for milk-crates. And now I don't just have chairs. I have BEAUTIFUL chairs, no work required. They even look nice together, and with our table. I have more than I dreamed of!
And boy, am I thankful!
No comments:
Post a Comment